Make science happen.
Studies for infants through teens.
Who We Are
The UC Berkeley Developmental Labs are overseen by faculty in the Department of Psychology. We specialize in studying how children think, learn, and grow. Together, we discover how children develop language, mathematical, and reasoning abilities. Our discoveries are regularly covered by NPR, the BBC, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Atlantic, Scientific American, and many others.
We are a collaborative of 8 different research labs, each overseen by a different faculty member with a distinct area of expertise. Each lab has its own team of researchers at a range of levels, from undergraduate students through postdoctoral scholars. You can visit our individual lab websites below to find out more about each of us.
What We Do
Every study is different, but most involve scheduling a one-time visit to our labs at UC Berkeley. Studies usually involve your child playing a game with a researcher. Sometimes researchers analyze where a child looks, what a child says, or how a child plays with a toy. What a researcher records and analyzes depends on the study. Some studies involve active participation from a caretaker, and others do not, but caretakers are always told the specifics of a study before they are scheduled. Parking and childcare for siblings may be provided if needed.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have transitioned to all-virtual data collection. Studies take the form of fun games played with our researchers on Zoom lasting between 5-30 minutes.
Check out what we're studying right now on our Current Studies page!
Amelia (8 months) & mom Andra
Interested?
You can sign-up or find out more about our work by filling out the form below or emailing us at devlabs@berkeley.edu.
Enrolling in our database does not obligate you to come in on a particular date for a particular study. Rather, signing up will allow us to keep you informed of study opportunities for which your child is eligible.